Shall we go to the cinema?

Next week, from 3^rd to 6^th June, Spanish cinemas will be offering people the opportunity to go to the cinema at a lower price. Once more, the initiative has been launched under the name “la Fiesta del Cine” and it seeks to encourage people to go to the pictures. I went the cinema last week and I couldn´t help thinking about what an extraordinary experience it has become. And when I use the word “extraordinary”, I intend to refer to its two meanings: “wonderful, remarkable or outstanding” but also “unusual and surprising”. Nowadays, in our societies, we feel obliged to undertake tasks which used to be done by employees in different companies. Buying a bus ticket, withdrawing money from the bank, dealing with your phone, gas or electricity company, doing your shopping … are just some of the tasks that we must carry out ourselves because we´ve been deprived of those services which, not so long ago, other people – employees – used to do for us because we are the clients of those companies. Companies are getting rid of people and they are replacing them with machines that we must run ourselves, on most occasions, without anyone´s advice or help. That´s why, the other day I felt so comforted when I went to one of my local cinemas. A lady in the box office greets you, asks you where you would like to sit and thanks you. Someone in the entrance takes your ticket, reads the information on it, and reassures you about the number of your room. Someone in the room – an usher or an usherette in my case – takes you to your seat  and makes sure you are sitting where you should be. Can´t anyone make you feel more welcome these days? Three people were taking care of you and your preferences, so here you have another reason why we should keep going to our local cinemas: because this experience has become unique – not just in relation to the film that you watch – but because people care about you and devote time to you, which is becoming unusual and weird in our contemporary societies.

Going to the cinema has become one of the most unique experiences in our societies. To the employees of our cinemas, THANK YOU for providing us with such a welcoming and caring service, you make the experience of going to the cinema even more special and pleasant!!